The Judith K. Johnson Memorial Coon Hollow Preserve -- located west of Three Rivers -- was dedicated during an early afternoon program on Oct. 19.

About 80 people were at the event, which marked the formal dedication of the nature preserve in memory of Judy Johnson.

Bruce Snook
Opinion

Johnson, a retired teacher, was instrumental in launching efforts by the Fabius Township Citizens' Coalition to preserve the unique, beautiful, and historically and culturally significant wetlands area at the intersection of Coon Hollow and Ferguson roads. She was president of the coalition at the time of her death in May 2007.

The 3.2-acre parcel at the heart of the preserve was purchased by the coalition with funds from a variety of donors. It is now owned by the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC) which will manage the property.

Members of Johnson's family were among those who gathered for the dedication on what could be described as a perfect autumn day.

Speakers for the dedication program included Peter Ter Louw, executive director of the SWMLC; Rebecca Shank, president of the Fabius Township Citizens' Coalition; Dennis Bradley, treasurer-secretary of the Fabius Township Citizens' Coalition; Bob McDonough, Fabius Township supervisor; and Eric Shafer, site manager of Waste Management, Inc. and a member of the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners.

In opening remarks, Ter Louw said, "This is just a wonderful gift from everybody who worked together -- to the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy -- for the benefit of the citizens of Fabius Township and the citizens of St. Joseph County."

Ter Louw explained that the SWMLC, which was established in 1991, works in a nine-county region. He noted that the organization owns Hidden Marsh Sanctuary, a 38-acre nature preserve on the Portage River just north of Three Rivers.

Regarding the Coon Hollow Preserve, Ter Louw said, "We can't do it alone so being able to partner with the Fabius Township Citizens' Coalition, Fabius Township, Waste Management, Wal-Mart and just all the private donors -- that's really what made this project special and allowed us to get it done."

Shank said, "Judy Johnson had a vision worthy of any effort to preserve her memory. With today's dedication of the Coon Hollow Preserve begins a new chapter in the history of the Coon Hollow, the first land preservation in Fabius Township."

Shank noted Johnson's interest in wetlands preservation and said, "Judy started using her retirement years to fight for the health of the Fabius Township lakes and streams environment, including her role as a toad and frog surveyor for the state of Michigan."

Bradley shared some history of the Coon Hollow and reported on work he has spearheaded to deal with property ownership issues. That work is ongoing and will eventually expand the preserve to over nine acres when adjacent mill pond areas are added.

McDonough commented on Fabius Township's involvement in the rezoning process that was required for the project to move forward. He said, "It ended up being, from a professional fees point of view, a pretty significant investment of township money, which we were absolutely thrilled to do."

Shafer said Waste Management is "really big on environmental stuff" and wants to be involved in the community, so the Coon Hollow Preserve project "was really a fit." And he said that, personally, with his bachelor's and master's degrees in environmental and earth sciences, "I understand how important it is to save the biodiversity that these wetlands areas provide to us."

The dedication included the unveiling of a sign marking the property and a bench donated by the Steve Houts family. In commenting on the bench donation, Houts said, "Judy was my son's kindergarten teacher. He has a successful business now in Minnesota. She always made the PTO meetings enjoyable and always had a smile on her face. I can remember all that. It's a small gift from the Houts family in Judy's memory."

Ter Louw reported that -- with some startup capital from the fundraising initiative -- the SWMLC has opened up a Land Conservation Stewardship Fund for the Three Rivers Area Community Foundation.

He said, "It's an endowment fund that we intend to grow as we grow our work in this community. That money will be used to manage these properties we protect, as well as provide some working capital to acquire future places."

The Coon Hollow Preserve will be open from dawn to dusk.

Bruce Snook, retired president and CEO of the Three Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce, can be reached at 273-8356 or bcsnook@comcast.net. Click here for more Bruce Snook columns.